Mississippi State Football Player Samuel Westmoreland Dead at 18: 'A Tremendous Young Man'
Samuel Westmoreland, an offensive lineman for the MSU Bulldog football team and an industrial technology major, has died, the school announced on Wednesday. He was 18.
The university did not reveal the cause or any details surrounding Westmoreland's death. In a statement, the university said they are "working cooperatively with the Oktibbeha County Sheriff's Office, the Oktibbeha County Coroner's Office, the MSU Division of Student Affairs, and the MSU Athletics Department to determine the facts of this incident."
Westmoreland was from Tupelo, Mississippi and graduated from Tupelo High School.
Mississippi State University was deeply saddened to learn of the death this morning of freshman student-athlete Samuel Westmoreland, 19, of Tupelo, Mississippi.https://t.co/cb6YD62bG2
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) October 19, 2022
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MSU Head Football Coach Mike Leach shared a tribute to the athlete on Twitter.
"The Mississippi State Athletics Family is heartbroken by the sudden death of Sam Westmoreland," he wrote.
"Sam was a beloved son, brother and teammate, and a tremendous young man with a limitless future," Coach Leach continued. "He will always be remembered and deeply missed by everyone who knew and loved him."
— Mike Leach (@Coach_Leach) October 19, 2022
"The entire MSU Family mourns as our thoughts and prayers go out to the Westmoreland family. Our highest priority is the support of the Westmoreland family and our student-athletes during this troubling time," he wrote.
samuel westmoreland/Twitter Sam Westmoreland
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MSU President Mark E. Keenum also shared his thoughts in the statement from the school. "One of the most profound lessons I've learned while leading this great university is that the tragic loss of one of our students diminishes all of our students — and all of us at Mississippi State feel the impact of Sam Westmoreland's death," he said.
"My prayers are with Sam's family and friends, with his MSU teammates and coaches, and with the Tupelo community during this most difficult time."
